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English Parliament lite

Some commentators have suggested a restricted form of English Parliament. The British MP John Redwood has suggested that British MPs should debate domestic issues in their homelands on certain days of the week and UK policies on other days of the week. Presumably this would entail the dissolution of all the devolved administrations and all 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament, the 60 Welsh Assembly Members and the 108 Members of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland being dismissed. It is unlikely to find favour in those regions that now enjoy a degree of autonomy and who have nationalist parties.

Others such a Lord Strathclyde have suggested that the House of Lords become the British Parliament with Scottish and Welsh Committees to scrutinise Scottish and Welsh legislation and the House of Commons an English Parliament. As above the dissolution of the devolved administrations and dismissal of their members is unlikely to find favour in those territories. Moreover, the problem with both these suggestions is the question of where British MPs’ sympathies lie with their unionist parties, the UK, or with their respective homelands? Indeed British MPs of nationalist parties have, by definition, the interests of their homelands at heart.